Chennai:
Five years after their child was electrocuted, the Madras High Court on Friday held the City Corporation responsible for the incident and directed it to pay the parents of the boy Rs five lakh as compensation.
According to S Damodaran and D Meenakshi, residing in the city's Choolaipallam area, their four-year-old son Udaya, after returning from school on April 14, 2007, died on the spot after touching a live wire of a lamp post, about 10 feet away from the house.
The parents alleged that lamp posts and street lights were not maintained properly.
Rejecting the corporation's contention that it was the responsibility of the parents to take care of their children, Justice K Chandru described it as a "sweeping statement" and said parents would not allow their children to die in this manner.
"In the city of Chennai, there is hardly any playground.
Most of the time children are playing in the streets and they have no other place to play," the Judge pointed out and said it was the duty of the Chennai Corporation to maintain lamp posts.
The Corporation claimed that all the terminals were properly insulated and the child's death was due to the negligence of the parents.
Allowing the petition, the judge however, said the claim for a compensation of Rs 10 lakh was on the higher side and ordered the Corporation to pay Rs five lakh to the parents.
According to S Damodaran and D Meenakshi, residing in the city's Choolaipallam area, their four-year-old son Udaya, after returning from school on April 14, 2007, died on the spot after touching a live wire of a lamp post, about 10 feet away from the house.
The parents alleged that lamp posts and street lights were not maintained properly.
Rejecting the corporation's contention that it was the responsibility of the parents to take care of their children, Justice K Chandru described it as a "sweeping statement" and said parents would not allow their children to die in this manner.
"In the city of Chennai, there is hardly any playground.
Most of the time children are playing in the streets and they have no other place to play," the Judge pointed out and said it was the duty of the Chennai Corporation to maintain lamp posts.
The Corporation claimed that all the terminals were properly insulated and the child's death was due to the negligence of the parents.
Allowing the petition, the judge however, said the claim for a compensation of Rs 10 lakh was on the higher side and ordered the Corporation to pay Rs five lakh to the parents.
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